ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. wound — an injury
  4. season — in sport
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. foot — a measure
  8. season — of the year
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wound — an injury
  11. band — a music group
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. ball — a great time
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. ball — a dance
  20. branch — a division
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. lie — to recline
  23. mine — for digging
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com